slow fire burn
by gaara-nara
Summary: for sasusakumonth17 on tumblr, prompt: lights out, words gone. would hesitation stifle the fires or would they give in to the heated hunger together? ONESHOT


she stood, leaning the smallest bit of her weight on the strong, thick tree to her side. pink eyelashes blinking unhurried as they watched the sun, beckoning the lines of light farther and farther away, cast elongated shadows through the woods that surrounded her. as the sunset started it's descent downward behind the peaks of hills stretching the span of land miles away, it produced flecks of deepened pinks and oranges as seconds ticked on.

her green orbs reflecting a work of art made from the canvas in the sky, breath coming out in a content sigh at the realization that moments like this weren't as rare as before, they had become something of a ritual for her.

over the many months of traveling sakura had found her very own type of peace by fully embracing these quiet times—these little things. she realized this could only have started the day her feet walked pass the gates of their village and out into the unknown alongside a boy whom her heart's deepest desire was to know, know, and _know more_.

a soft gust of wind rustled the leaves in the tree above her, bringing with it the fresh smell of rain. inhaling deeply and closing her eyes tight, she searched for a sign and noted it after a moment, if ever so slightly present: that faint earthy scent that carried a tiny bit of something musky, something all him.

since the stops at villages, and especially inns, were not predictable, sakura had started to wash all the clothes together. at first he had objected, as expected when someone as reserved as sasuke is being presented with the idea of someone washing his intimates, but eventually he realized the resourcefulness and gave in.

 _another small step_ , she thought.

now standing far enough in the woods and away from the inn they had stopped at she could still catch his familiar scent on her own loose shirt, edge waving gently around her waist as the wind started to pick up.

she cast her gaze back to the sunset, seeing the moments that had passed brought forth a calming purple that blended effortlessly into the darkening blue of the remaining sky. certainly stars would normally permeate every inch of the vast view above but clouds were moving in quickly and she could sense the change in temperature as goose bumps prickled over her arms.

if she held her breath, taking away the only noticeable sound filling the dense quiet of these forest floors, sakura could catch the light thrumming of rain off in the distance, slowly making it's approach to where she stood motionless, entranced by the view above her.

only fleetingly did it cross her mind that the rain might reach her if she did not start making her way back to the inn.

and rain, rain it did. while the night sky fully immersed itself in hues of the darkest blues, welcoming night, that far-off noise of rain finally came down in what felt like blankets to her ivory skin, promising to soak her to the bone even with the coverage of branches.

once she turned, her body ran on it's own accord, rather recklessly, back toward the safety and warmth of the inn, no longer held down by the wonder of the long gone sunset.

she could not see very much in front of her through the sheets of water. as she ran, splashing along the mossy grounds, she haphazardly slung pieces of hair that had plastered itself to her face behind her ears, keeping her hands up and over her eyes, hoping to allow for better vision.

still, her delayed reactions to everything kept her from attempting to focus in on what stood in the middle of the path she now ran down.

instantly she came crashing into a solid form, all of the breath she held within almost knocked out of her. she didn't have the time to stop herself from falling back yet wondered at the warmth exuded by the strong arm that caught her and pulled her back under the protection of something.

blinking hard and wiping at the moisture on her face, she found that she had run into sasuke. he stood, arm extended out to provide shelter for her under his cloak, dark eyes holding the slightest proof that he was amused.

"it has started to rain," he informed with that same mischievous quirk that she accustomed to very early in their genin days yet caught showing up more and more now.

she thought about how the little things always gave him away, showing those parts she fell in love with so long ago, as she smiled up at him.

"mm," she breathed, huddling up under the cloak and closer toward his warmth, not minding his obvious statement as she had grown used to his humor as much as his stubbornness given all their history together.

bit by bit as they walked, she realized the space under the clothing wasn't enough to keep them from touching in some way and this caused her to become rather perplexed, not focusing on her next step. nevertheless he caught her stumbling forward with ease, as if he expected this reaction, and wrapped his arm around her middle, leaving a dark flush to blossom across her cheeks, as his cloak came down and enveloped her completely under it and next to his side.

"are you alright, sakura?"

"i'm—i'm just cold." came the muffled chatter from under the dark cloth. her teeth were really chattering but she knew it had little to do with the lowered temperature outside but much more to do with the way their bodies brushed together when they walked.

as he moved his arm off of her waist and back up to hold the cloak over her, she practically squeaked.

"hn."

but even in his infamous reply that usually accompanied a blank look, sakura could hear the satisfaction that lurked somewhere in him. she knew he realized that even the slightest touch from him could still (and probably always would) startle every nerve in her.

she leaned her head forward a tiny bit, peeking through the opening of his cloak and trying to read his facial expression, but found nothing to give him away since his focus was purely on getting back to the inn and his eyes never left the trail ahead.

"you are soaked. you should shower and get in bed so you will warm up."

with this, they were silent and steady for the rest of the walk, rain easing up the closer they got and chirps from crickets filling the night air to accompany their trek.

sakura never noticed how she stayed right beside him from then on, soaking in the heat and closeness before she assumed it would be gone.

she also failed to notice that he never pulled away.

. . . . . .

pacing back and forth across the bathroom, the sound of her feet padded against the floor that was still covered in a light layer of moisture from the steamy shower she had just finished. she distractedly ran her hands over the fog covered mirror and stared at her reflection, lost in thought over how small yet significant his actions around her during these travels had been.

 _small steps._

her fingers brush over her lips, recalling weeks before when she had been watching him sleep, reveling in how peaceful his sleeping form looked, only for him to crack an eye open and find silent tears pouring down her cheeks. he took her emotional state in for a moment before leaning up on his elbow and side, sincere worry in his eyes but she found no words were sincere enough to convey how much it made her very being drip in love over this chance they had to be alone and really understand each other. this chance she had to take. before she could stop herself she had leaned in, only to feel her eyes fly open in shock at lips gently crashing into hers at the same time.

her hand wandered up to her forehead as her eyes crinkled at the sides, filling with fresh tears over the truth he had shared with her—the first sign of love he had ever been shown, expressed in the same way but with much deeper meaning when it was his two fingers meeting on her forehead. her heart swelled as she bit her lip and dropped her shaky arm back to her side.

this space between them was closing and she couldn't stop it, even if she had wanted to.

she then wrapped her arms slowly around her own waist as she remembered the way his arm felt there less than an hour ago, firm but so gentle. just like sasuke truly is… and while her eyes fell shut she realized just how much she was beginning to learn about him, new things she was falling for.

she breathed out through her nose slowly and ran a hand through her damp hair, heading out into the room as she did so.

her eyes took a second to adjust as she noted darkness filled the area, save for the light that flickered across everything from the small fire he had built for them over in the fireplace.

sakura's line of vision crept over to the bed and rested on the shape of his body under the covers. as she stood, shivering the tiniest bit, she watched the sheets move up and down barely as he breathed. Her hand pulling the bathroom door shut completely but even with that tiny click that could barely be more than a whisper in the room with the occasional crackle of fire and steady drizzle of rain outside, he shifted a little and looked over at her.

when a faint smile graced his lips, she felt something deep within her stomach stir.

 _protective. gentle. hesitant. he shows love this way. he shows me love this way._

he reached out with his hand, something she had grown used to, and beckoned her over to the bed, eyes never leaving hers.

sakura made her way over to the other side and crawled down into the safety of the covers, still holding his gaze as her heart beat wildly at the closeness of their bodies again. so many times before she had dreamed of spending nights with him, sharing the same bed and now as she realized she had been, she ached in a new way.

a new longing started in her gut when his voice sweet like honey and soft as velvet filled her ears, as he asked if she felt better.

she parted her lips and started to reply but realized she could never muster up all the words needed to express how she felt right now.

so she willed her hand forward as it came out from under the covers and to rest on his cheek, running fingers lightly over his skin.

"let me show you how i feel…" her soft voice cracked while she watched new emotions race across his eyes. as she searched deep into his dark pupils, she could see his heart uncovered and feelings aglow.

his hesitance almost made her wonder if he wanted the same things though, if he yearned for her the same way, if he was being consumed by a ravenous fire that threatened to burn everything it touched…

but his eyes softened, as if he had come to a decision, and she moved her fingers more desperately along his face, outlining his lips and jaw, waiting.

the light from the fire running across their features and casting shadows as she leaned in and he pulled her close, pressing their foreheads together.

"please…" she whispered, moving her hand down his arm.

captivated by the hunger she found in his eyes, as he leaned her head back and took her expression in, he breathed out slowly, a ragged breath escaping his lips before he gently pressed them to hers. taken aback she felt a tiny moan escape her mouth before she eagerly pressed hers into his, feeling his lightly calloused hands roaming to her waist and under the cotton shirt.

rain pattered down on the roof still.

soft touches, so many grazes, and breathing filled the room as clothes were slowly pulled away and heavy-lidded eyes soaked each other in.

his strong arm pulled her close, pressing their skin together. her arms slipped up and looped behind his neck, nuzzling her face against his ear and hair, breathing in his scent, so much stronger now as they moved down together steadily and became two souls into one flesh.

the movement had her pinching her brows together and thighs tightening around him.

"sakura… am i hurting you?" his breathless voice filled the air as his hand gripped her shoulder, pulling her to where their eyes met and he caught the distress painted on her face.

her eyes spilled over tears in a thick stream causing him to fret and try to move her off, but she touched his chest so so softly, running her hands across the slick skin, stopping him.

because nothing else could convey how she felt, how much she wanted (no, needed) this, she leaned in next to his ear and whispered that she wanted him as her lips touched him briefly and she pressed her body down further on his, encouraging him to continue, fingers grasping his shoulders.

his breath hitched in his throat at the sensation and he kept their bodies touching, warmth filling them from every soft rock and roll as they crashed into each other deeper and more needy as the moments passed, almost suffocating in the need to show the other this love they had been overcome with so long ago.

his eyes flickered over her form as the mixture of the fire's light and the moon moved across her face, lips, breasts, and he gave his most gentle smile to her. she pulled his face to hers and kissed him barely at first but then with all the emotion she had pent up inside her, breath catching and having to pull away as she moaned against his chest, dizzy with pleasure over the growing pace their hips had set.

heart thumping more and more at the thought of how intimate and close their actions were, how she could feel the love he had for her in every touch of his fingers, every heated kiss he peppered over her body, and every rock of his hips meeting hers. she couldn't stifle the cry when her peak came as her body shook and trembled against his, intertwining her fingers in his long dark locks as she tried to hold on as he continued to ride out his ecstasy.

only moments later, his lips spilled out her name so painstakingly full of love, as his body stiffened against hers and panting breath filled the room.

new tears threatened to come as the heat in her belly melted away and he pulled her into his arm, both spent with emotion and coming down from the high as they held onto each other. she closed her eyes and leaned in to kiss his collarbone, feeling his chin rest on her head, both nodding off into a deep sleep as they clung together still.

years before when she dreamed of spending her life with him, making a future together, helping him restore his clan, and loving him endlessly, she never realized it would already feel like home. but when she leaned her head against his chest and heard his heart beating against hers, she knew she could never belong anywhere else.


End file.
